26th March 2013 The alarm was dutifully set for 6:45 am, but we managed to beat it by waking at 6:15 am. Clearly, our body clocks were already braced for the joys of travel day. The suitcases had been surrendered to the corridor the previous night and had mysteriously vanished by morning, hopefully into the… Continue Reading

25th March 2013 Palm Sunday dawned not with palm trees and sunshine but with our first dose of drizzle and drear. Over breakfast, we stared gloomily out at the rolling grey waves, no dolphins in sight, though I can hardly blame them for staying tucked up at home with a good book. A tentative shuffle… Continue Reading

23rd March 2013 We indulged in a leisurely breakfast this morning, as Barcelona wasn’t expecting us until after 1 pm. Suitably fortified, we decided on a brisk constitutional around the decks. The sky was blue and cloudless, but a brisk Arctic gale made my decision to wear shorts and a t-shirt look less “Mediterranean chic”… Continue Reading

22nd March 2013 The clocks went forward again last night, which meant we lost another hour of sleep. Not that it bothered us much, we sailed past Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean at 6 am, but Sue and I snoozed happily through it all and didn’t emerge for breakfast until 9 am. What we did… Continue Reading

21st March 2013 We woke this morning to find the ship already snug in port. The sky was blue, the air was hot, and it wasn’t even 8 am. After breakfast, we stretched our legs with a stroll around the deck to admire the skyline. Casablanca, it turns out, is not all Humphrey Bogart and… Continue Reading

20th March 2013 We treated ourselves to a lie-in and only surfaced for breakfast at 9 am. Outside, the sea rolled gently beneath a bright blue sky streaked with fluffy white clouds. No white horses today, just a pleasant swell. Sue excitedly spotted her first whale, first the spout, then the creature itself, keeping pace… Continue Reading

19th March 2013 The night brought a choppier sea, though it didn’t disturb our sleep. We awoke refreshed, only to find the deck glistening with rain, or possibly seawater, depending on how optimistic one felt. A quick flick through the cabin TV’s CCTV (front and back views of endless waves, better than The Shipping Forecast,… Continue Reading

18th March 2013 Land sighted! Boats, dolphins, and seabirds all appeared as if choreographed for our early breakfast at 7:45 am. By sheer good fortune, the captain had stumbled upon Santa Cruz de Tenerife just before we were forced to start gnawing on the table legs for sustenance. We had an excursion booked, hence the… Continue Reading

17th March 2013 We sailed through yet another time zone last night, which meant yet another hour of sleep stolen from us. Miraculously, we still managed to stagger into breakfast by 9 am, slightly bleary-eyed but victorious. The morning’s entertainment began with another quiz. We came second this time and were rewarded with Costa wristbands,… Continue Reading

17th March 2013 Captain’s Log Stardate: 2014.16.3 Location: Alpha Quadrant – 18° 55′ 54″N, 24° 0′ 57″W (just past the Cape Verde system) No sightings of Klingon (cloaked or uncloaked), Ferengi, Borg, or any other Federation vessels for five days now. We suspect the navigational computer may be malfunctioning, as we seem to be circling… Continue Reading